Control Key

Control Key in Microsoft Windows

The Control Key in Windows is used for keyboard shortcuts. For example, Copy is 【Ctrl+c】, Paste is 【Ctrl+v】.

On the Mac, Command key is used for keyboard shortcuts. Copy is 【⌘ command+c】, Paste is 【⌘ command+v】.

Control Key in Mac OS X

The Control key under Mac is rarely used.
When used, it is as a modifier in combination with other modifier keys. For example, 【Ctrl+⌘ command+z】 in iTunes will iconify the window.

Mac OS X by default supports emacs's basic keybindings. They are:

Mac OS X's default emacs keybindings

Key

Action

【Ctrl+f】

move forward

【Ctrl+b】

move backward

【Ctrl+n】

move down a line

【Ctrl+p】

move up a line

【Ctrl+a】

beginning of line

【Ctrl+e】

end of line

【Ctrl+k】

delete current position to end of line

【Ctrl+y】

paste

Alt/Option Key

⌥ option and Alt both send the same scancode.

Alt Key used in Microsoft Windows

The Alt key in MS Windows has 3 different uses:

It is used to invoke graphical menus. For example, pressing (and releasing) Alt by itself will activate the graphical menu, then the user can press a alphabetic key to invoke a menu command or use arrow keys to navigate the menu.
For example,
Altec invokes the copy command in edit menu, in Notepad and most other Microsoft Windows apps.

When pressed simultaneously with a key, it invoke a command directly. For example, 【Alt+F4】 closes the current window.

When held down then type a number on the numeric keypad, it enters a special character. For example, hold Alt then type 0225 on numeric keypad will insert “á”. (called Alt code)

If your Windows's keyboard layout is set to a European language, then right Alt plus a letter key inserts special characters. 〔►see International Keyboard Layouts〕

Menu/App Key

The ▤ Menu key, also called Application key, is invented by Microsoft. Typically only on the right side. It is used for Context Menu. The key's function is for the same purpose as the mouse's right button, or pressing 【Shift+F10】 in most applications.

Note: press the ▤ Menu key is not equivalent to pressing the right mouse button. For example, in a browser, pressing right mouse button on a link pops up a context menu for that link. But press ▤ Menu doesn't show the same context menu. You need first to put focus on the link (by pressing Tab), then press ▤ Menu.

Mac doesn't have
▤ Menu key.
If you use a PC keyboard on a Mac, the
▤ Menu
key does
Ctrl+p
for some reason.

Main Return/Enter Key

On Apple's keyboards, the main enter key is usually labeled “return” or just by a symbol “↩”.

Note: the main enter/return key is different from the Enter ↵ on number keypad. (it sends a different key signal.)

Enter/Return Key Conventions

In Microsoft Windows desktop (Explorer), when a file is selected, Enter ↵ will open the file.

In Mac desktop (Finder), when a file is selected, Enter ↵ will activate file rename.
(⌘ command+o to open the file.)

Backspace Key

PC keyboard's keys. The ⌫ Backspace and ⌦ Delete keys.

On PC keyboards, there is a ⌫ Backspace key on the main section.

On Apple keyboards, this key is labeled “delete”.

Backspace Key Conventions

When in text editing, the ⌫ Backspace is used the same way in both OS X and Windows. It delete texts to the left of the cursor.

In browser, Windows use
⌫ Backspace
key to “go back” to a previous visited page.
For some time around 2005 to 2013, Mac OS X's Safari browser also started to do the same, but removed this shortcut again when gesture with touchpad becomes popular. Use 2-finger swipe to the left to go back.

Delete/Del Key

The ⌦ Delete key is located in the Home/End key cluster. This key sometimes labeled “Del”.

On Mac, this key is labeled “delete” or ⌦.

On Windows, ⌦ Delete is often used to delete things. For example, on desktop, select a file, pressing ⌦ Delete will put the file to the “Recycle Bin”. In a text editor, the key will delete to the right of the cursor.

On the Mac, from early 1990s to 2006, the ⌦ Delete key is almost never used, even in text editors. When there is a function assigned to it, it is used to delete to the right of the cursor.

Insert Key

On PC keyboards, there is the Insert key (sometimes labeled Ins). Apple keyboards doesn't have this key.

PrtScn ScrLk Break vs F13 F14 F15

The PC has these keys:
PrtScn/SysRq,
Scroll Lock,
Pause/Pause.

These keys have old history back to the 1980's (or earlier) and in general
are not used since 1990, except on Windows the PrtScn key is for screenshot.

Apple's keyboards do not have these keys. On some Apple keyboards, they have F13, F14, F15 instead. “Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad” of 2009, has F16 to F19.

The {PrtScnScrLkBreak} are different keys than {F13F14F15}. They do not send the same signals. In any case, when either PC keyboard or Apple keyboard is plugged in on a Mac running Mac OS X 10.4, these keys have the same behavior (could be due to operating system).

Numeric Keypad Keys

PC keyboard number pad

The number pad keys on PC keyboard sends different signal than the number keys at top row of the main key section.